


Old School Magic and a Little Alchemy

by ArchKanine



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Might add more tags later, There will be fluff, continuation of story, gender neutral frisk, im not sure what to tag this yet, not sure about much else sorry, original idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23948887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchKanine/pseuds/ArchKanine
Summary: In the years following the barrier coming down, Frisk has been busy at it. Despite their past and how easy it would be to reset Frisk keeps their promise. After all, all they wanted was happiness for themselves and monsters. They had done just that ... or had they... was there more? What if they were back underground but this time have no way to escape?
Relationships: Sans (Undertale)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Stay Determined

**Author's Note:**

> Again want to portray speakers with their fonts but im dumb and dont know how to do that so.. i'll try my best to show it. Frisk is selectively mute signing will be in asterisk. google translate used for this first chapter. sorry not sorry i cant speak other languages so apologizes for possible wrong use of words or grammar. They are surfaced in what i feel like is the most cannon this time around so Iceland it is. Some stuff is there and real some stuff is not #thatswhyitsastory

Chapter 1

Stay Determined

Cameras flashed and an ocean of whispers, pens scribbling on paper, and reporters chirping in vying for attention flooded the room. Even though they had been the Monster Ambassador for six years now Frisk still hated these types of meetings more than anything else. Frisk signed quickly to Tori who spoke into the microphone and pointed to one of the reporters.

A man shot up holding up a small recorder, he spoke into it clearly before turning it to the tables where Frisk sat.“Yes, thank you. Ambassador Frisk, Kristin from Nephaulah Regional. How can you justify a hiatus during such a crucial point in fighting for monster and human rights? All of this over a supposed ‘second barrier’?” His partner didn’t get up but also rapid fired a second question, “How would this affect the already overcrowded cities that are facing housing the monsters now if MORE monsters flooded in?”

“HEY PUNKS! YOU KNOW THE RULES. ONE QUESTION AT A TIME!” Undyne shouted stepping forward aggressively.

Frisk’s brow twitched in annoyance and they shot up slamming their hands down on the table. Today’s meeting had already stretched an hour behind schedule and they tried to placate the media but enough was enough. “First of all!” Frisk started nearly shocking the room to silence since they hardly ever spoke. “There is nothing ‘supposed’ about this second barrier. The ONLY thing that is speculation now is how many others there could potentially be.” Frisk gestured to the rolling powerpoint behind them and on a silent cue Alphys changed it to a new slide. “We have scientific reading from our own satellites showing the same seismic reading magical barriers give off right across the North Atlantic Ocean! Secondly, as I’ve stated this is a hiatus only in its most technical of terms. It’s not like I or any of my staff will be out of the political loop or taking any breaks while we investigate these findings further. It will simply take a slightly higher priority, monsters as we are all aware of have been trapped underground for a millenia. If there are more locations that trap monsters then freeing them as well will **clearly** be a priority. ” Frisk sat back down in their chair stiffly and rubbed their temples, “ Thirdly, I would hate to put undue stress on cities that have been so _gracious_ as to house monsters as it is and as such we have a plan regarding that situation.” Frisk shifted through the stacks of papers on the table before them, plucked a blue folder with a golden seal on the front, and held it up for the room to clearly see. “This is a new housing arrangement that has been in talks between several organizations and leaders of neighboring countries and globally. This designates regions protected nationally such as forrest or reserves as new locations for monster territories without infringing on already claimed territories until a time such as monsters can lay claim to land of their own. It also makes use of previously abandoned places, such as those used to house the olympic games, as repurposed housing for monsters. While we are investigating our new findings all powers will meet at a moot to further discuss this plan and come to an agreement on it.”

The room rose into another uproar as questions were unleashed in a new torrent of who would be acting as a stand in for Frisk while they were gone, how long exactly would they be gone, and a plethora of others drowned out by the noise. Flashes from cameras temporarily blotted out sight and made brightly colored dots dance across their face. Frisk gave a few short dry coughs and signed quickly under the table that they were done. Undyne moved back then and threw an arm around Frisk shielding them while they made a retreat. Toriel stood following, quickly thanking everyone for coming and for their questions but that the meeting was now over. Greater Dog met them half way down the hall to receive Frisk while Undyne swapped to guard Alphys and the rest. Once to the covered lot a group of Whimsalot flew a perimeter around Toriel, Frisk, and Greater Dog shielding them from even more reporters and their cameras outside. 

“This way your Majesty and Lady Frisk,” one called leading the group around a column where Papyrus waited with their car. 

“LADY ASGORE, HUMAN FRISK! YOUR CHARIOT AWAITS!” He called opening a door for them. Once safely inside Papyrus ran around entering himself, started the car then sped off. Frisk’s phone pinged in their hand that they hurriedly checked, Sans had gathered the others and they too were now leaving. _Good_ they sighed but got caught up again in another coughing fit.

“Here my child,” Toriel cooed softly. She pulled a cinnamon candy from her clutch and handed it to Frisk. They leaned into her embrace sucking on the candy while Toriel held and petted them. “I am most sorry that you had to speak so forcefully my child. You have been stressed so much lately, I know you need not be told but of course you can take you time to reply. Nor do I mind translating.”

*I know mother, there are just some things…* Frisk sighed rubbing their temples more. Tori nodded she understood how passionate Frisk was on matters involving monsters. Alphys and Frisk sat in on a conference call for most of the drive back to Laugardalur. Little holographic images of Asgore, Alphys, Temmie, Ljótur Héðinsson(President of Iceland), and Hafbjörg Guttormsdóttir(the Prime Minister) sat in their respective places in a semicircle over their tablet as they discussed today’s meeting. They expected it to go global within the next 10 hours and would keep Frisk updated to any new news relevant to the rehoming plan but otherwise would run everything else through Temmie, Asogre, or Toriel while Frisk and their team focused on the new monster findings. 

Frisk had almost nodded off when Paps made it to town. Paps spoke softly with Tori while she handed Frisk off to Sans. Frisk was so out of it they missed whatever pun the skele made and barely registered being in his arms before he shortcutted them away. Their hands fumbled through their words as Sans laid them somewhere dark and soft.

“Heeey kid, s’ok,” he chuckled softly. Shoes were removed, cuffs and ties undone as he tucked them partially in, “You can tell me all about it later.” He ruffled their hair and planted a small kiss to their forehead as they mumble before falling asleep. “Heh night kiddo.”

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


The news droned softly in the background while Toriel sat reading. Evening was approaching and nearly everyone was resting from earlier events. Undyne had a far away look as she watched the rain falling outside, Alphys was at a table near her and had been typing away on her tablet but now was slumped in her chair threatening to drop the tech, Asgore was removing dirty plates of leftover pie and tea, while Sans snoozed on the couch with Papyrus. At least he looked asleep, Toriel mused sipping her hot chocolate, who could tell these days when the lazybones was actually awake. 

“More reports say that Ambasador Frisk will be taking a hiatus from the political scene to pursue leads revolving around the appearance of more monsters. We go to Kristofer who has more details on this striking bit of news, Kris?” Tori strained her ears but eventually had to stop reading so as to better listen to the t.v, this reporter Kristofer spoke much faster than she was accustomed to and was having a hard time picking out everything he was saying. “Þessar fréttir hafa heimamenn í uppnámi þar sem margir velta því fyrir sér hvað sé að gerast um landið...” On screen Kris had turned to a bystander to converse with them on the current topic. But it was the first bit of his sentence that had caught her attention which caused her to perk up, even turn the volume up slightly. Sans had cracked a socket too, apparently not asleep while he listened in.

“They gonna riot again?” He asked quietly shifting slightly out from under Papyrus.

“I think that...they are more concerned and less riotous.” She tried to read the text flowing across the bottom of the screen but still only managed to catch a glimpse of names of towns or schools where only slightly familiar groups had been gathering to either support or protest this new turn of events.

Tori sighed slumping back into her chair and picked up her book again, she would much rather be reading her snail book but she didn’t have much further to go until she finished all the intermediate leveled books for the icelandic language and could continue on to more advanced ones. Since arriving on the surface they had a new barrier to overcome, not every monster had access to newer books that came down from the surface and as such had a language barrier to work through. Many in the underground still spoke the old language, very broken Icelandic, or even more broken english. Nearly everyone on Frisk’s team had undertaken college courses first thing when the barrier broke and most could read icelandic well on their own but when it came to speed reading or keeping up with the native speakers… they still fell behind. Monsters had intention on their side however, even if they could only truly keep up with about half of what was said, the intent behind the sentence would get them the rest of the way through what was meant. It was almost overwhelming, Tori thought, she was determined to learn Icelandic... and perhaps english... but even for her language, was all she needed. Alphys and Sans both had to retake a few classes in their math and sciences since the humans would not accept their degrees from the underground. Not to mention both of them proved rather impressive quick studies and had picked up a few extra languages as well. With her passion for anime Alphys had pretty much taught herself Japanese and during her time on the surface had powered through Icelandic, English, German, and was now working through Spanish. Sans too spent more time reading than she had ever witnessed, it was soul warming to see him work out of the stupor he had been in the underground. He had tackled many other languages as well and was currently working on expanding his field of study into space and time theories.

Humans had slowly come to realize that they had much to offer in the way of technology and coupled with their wealth, had had no problems joining forces at least in the scientific community. Now however, Tori wanted more than anything else that they would soon be granted rights of those of actual citizens and get started on rebuilding their people. Her mind wandered to this new housing agreement that had been hanging in the air for the past few months. If the U.N decided to grant them this land it would be the first step to claiming land or a nation as their own. Would the humans really allow this? She was trying afterall to remain hopeful but humans were not well known for their ability to share and even up until now had bitterly bickered over who would have to lose ground in their own soil to accommodate the monsters. Iceland was a small continent home to an even smaller amount of humans that had not only been sympathetic to their plight but down right kind and helpful. In the six years they had been on the surface all of monster kind were making leaps and bounds in ways that blew Tori’s mind and all of it was no doubt thanks to Frisk. Tori knew how smart they were, and determined, but they had grown into a formidable tactician over the years. Even when things had boiled over into dangerous outbursts from the public Frisk had managed to dial tensions back to bearable degrees. They had dealt with riots, masses of people screaming for them to go back to where they came from, name calling and slurs, but despite it all, things could be much, much worse.

A screech burst through the Queen’s thoughts and the relative silence of the room as a blurr hurled through the air. The blur just missed Toriel but she felt something heavy and soft smack her in the muzzle. Sans barely reacted in time swooping down to the floor missing an attack but was knocked the rest of the way over onto the floor by Frisk. They had erupted into giggles and screeked again when Sans pinned them and started tickling them. Asgore came rushing into the room from the joined kitchen startled but quickly softened at Frisk’s antics. Undyne had been so startled she almost knocked the table over but caught it in time to hold it off balance in a crushing grip while Alphys screamed and fell out of her chair. 

“NYYAAAAH PUNK! YOU NEARLY SCARED THE BAJESUS OUTTA ME!”

“C’mon Dyne it’s just a ninja Frisk no need to be scream-ish.”

“UGH SANS NO!” Groaned a now wide awake Papyrus. 

Frisk managed to squirm free and promptly pounced onto Tori who swung them up over head with ease despite their being 16 now and not 10. Everyone rough housed respectively as Frisk had successfully changed the mood from a depressed, gloomy one to one of mirth. Sans was being ganged up on by Tori and Frisk who were both trying to smoosh him into the couch with their pillows while Asgore and Undyne formed a noogie train with Papyrus being stuck at the bottom wailing out pitiful ‘nyeh heh’s’ at being trapped. Alphys rolled around on the floor snorting with laughter until she noticed her tablet pinging. She stood shocked at the readings it had been running all morning. 

“U-Uh… uhm.. E-everyone,” came her small quiet voice.

Even though she was so quiet the room had stilled and all eyes were on her as she shifted uneasily from side to side. She quickly turned off the t.v and fiddled with the tablet till it projected a large hologram screen near the front of the room. Operation ‘Barrier Take 2’ displayed itself in bright blue as the images they were receiving from the satellite zoned in. 

“T-the readings are clear,” Alphys started pushing her glasses back up her snout. “There are definite magic readings… this is it.”

Coordinates flashed on the screen as the program frantically tried to hone in on the new magical barriers location. The image enlarged a few more times until a clear picture of a mountain settled before them. The Mourne Mountains displayed over the image sitting near the northern end of Ireland along with its latitude, longitude, height, depth, and many other readings. Tori brought a paw up to cover her mouth stifling a small gasp while Asgore gently squeezed her shoulders. So here it was, the truth. There **were** more monsters the only question to it now was how. How had they been separated? After the war any missing were presumed dead when the sentencing fell that all monsters would be locked underground. Would they still remember them? 

“Is there a way to know how many, Dr. Alphys?” Came Asgore’s voice all the more low and reverent.

“N-n-not according to this. We won’t know u-until… until-”

“Until we can get people on the ground to go in.” Sans’ voice was slightly muffled from where he hadn’t bothered to get out from under the pillows that had been ‘smothering’ him. Frisk eyed him silently to which he just shrugged lazily in response. He sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to going back underground, anywhere, at all, ever. But he knew he couldn’t let the kid go alone or well… without him. Frisk turned their attention to the hologram and walked up to it placing their hand on the area outlined in a rainbow aura. With blatant proof more monsters were still trapped underground and so close Frisk steeled themself. Hope of setting these monsters free… filled them with **DETERMINATION**.


	2. Trials and Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We fall down and this time its on purpose. New underground, same feeling trapped. New Judge, same sins. What did we miss?

The early Autumn wind was bitterly cold on the mountainside. The sun was out now but it’s warmth had yet to make it through the chill of the season so far up Mount Mourne. Frisk tightened their gear making sure nothing shifted around too much while Sans worked on strapping them in to their climbing gear. Besides Undyne, they were the most warmly dressed for this journey since the cold didn’t really bother Sans with him being made of bone. He hadn’t hesitated to throw in ‘the cold just goes right through me’ when they stepped off the plane. Toriel and Greater Dog had fur to keep them plenty warm making Frisk wish once again that they had some monster qualities. They blushed hotly behind their layers trying to hide behind their face blind and goggles. 

“ Heh, don’t sweat it kid. We’ll be down and out of this cold in no time. ” Sans joked. 

He hadn’t fooled them, Sans was incredibly wary about being underground again. It showed in how he fidgeted with his own climbing gear and how his socket twitched. Frisk made the argument he didn’t have to come along knowing how it might affect him but despite everything he just wouldn’t let them go off without him. They sighed heavily not knowing how to put him at ease when Undyne’s voice pulled them out of the silence.

“ ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!! Alphys has the destination mapped out and sent to each of us, go ahead and pull it up. ” She fiddled with her watch for a moment which pulled up a small map that floated just over her wrist. She then went through the ways they could access their menus, tool tips, and in any other way how to use their devices. “ These here will send out distress beacons if it’s needed and will act as short wave communication devices both between us and back to Alphys. These will monitor our stats and the environment that way if anything dangerous should happen to or near us we can be prepared. NOW! ” She clapped her hands together loudly and locked eyes with everyone in the group. “ We have about half a mile to hike before we get to the drop zone from there… I’m not gonna sugar coat it. We have about 3,000 feet to descend. Alphys wasn’t able to pinpoint the exit of the mountain here but much like Ebott, ” she paused her gaze softening a little when she looked at Frisk. “ The entrance is through a fall. The difference is we don’t know how the fall works here. It wasn’t this deep so we either have a long way to repel down or Alphys thinks there will be a ‘skip’ of sorts at some point. We might have a short distance because of it EITHER WAY! Resting points will be every 200 feet or sooner if needed no acceptions. I don’t want any of you overexerting yourselves. Where we will be entering will basically be the ‘beginning’ and the only way out will be through their barrier. ” 

Frisk watched as Sans wasn’t the only one to shift uncomfortably. It made them proud of everyone that they would accompany them and conflicted about putting them through being underground again. 

“ Your Majesty, you have the souls secured? ”

Toriel nodded curtly, patting the small box strapped tightly around her chest.

Undyne gave a short nod in response then pulled up her watch, “ Alright, I'm gonna sync us all up. GD I want you to bring up the rear, protect the Queen. ” He responded with an enthusiastic bark while his tongue lolled out to the side accompanied by drool.  “Sans you got kid duty. ” He winked with a lazy smile and shot Frisk finger guns. “A LRIGHT let’s move out I wanna reach the drop zone by nine, we’ll take a break if we need it otherwise, THIS IS IT!!! LET’S GO BUST THESE GUYS OUT NYAAAH! ” Undyne turned on her heel and struck out at a brisk pace. 

Frisk followed behind opening her watches display. The Mourne mountains were often associated with the paranormal according to the lore of locals. Many generations of people believed that fairies or the ‘fae’ roamed the wooded areas of the mountains and would haunt the silent misty areas. Some parts of the mountain were safe, with tourists visiting, hiking trails, and camping sites but others areas were scarcely tread. It reminded Frisk of the lore associated with Mt. Ebott, they shivered at the thought of some climbing this mountain with hopes to never come back down it. The thought made the fog and gloom settling around the bushes and trees seem all the more dense and foreboding.

“ You alright there kid? ” Sans lazily cradled his skull in his hands as they walked and had turned slightly looking over Frisk. “ Not underground yet and you’re already ‘deep’ in thought. ”

Frisk huffed throwing him a weak smile. * That was bad. *

“ Eh yeah heh… guess ‘m off my game. Throw me a bone here kid. ” 

They snickered, that was much better. * I’m fine Sans. Just thinking about the place. I hope it’s not like Ebott. But I get this feeling… *

Sans faced forward hiding how he eyed their surroundings, “ Yeah...me too kid. Me too. ”

The hike was uneventful and came to a quick end. Everyone now stood silent, awe seeming to freeze them in place as they stared down into the dark forever that was to be their entrance to the mountain. The hole was about 20 feet wide all around and all but the right side had a sheer drop about 40 feet down. It was intimidating to look at to say the least. Undyne started first, securing a main line for them to use then dug in making a second line heading down. They made it to almost 800 feet before things started getting weird. First all sound stopped minus an echoy howling wind then after another couple feet their watches started malfunctioning. The second thing was the light, it turned pitch making them have to turn on head gear and safety lights. Frisk risked a glance up feeling a sickening feeling wash over them when they were greeted with darkness. Shouldn’t they still be able to see the light from the hole above? An updraft swooped by the group so strong they had to dig in closer to the rocky wall but the harder they clung to the wall the more the wind picked up. 

“ HOLD ON!! ” Undyne tried shouting over the roar of the wind. She quickly summoned a spear and stabbed it into the stone attempting to anchor herself more.

Suddenly weight lurched behind them as Greater Dogs peg wrenched from the rock. Everything happened so fast after that. Toriel snached onto his rope trying to keep his full weight from pulling on the safety line that connected them. The wind, seeming angered by this, screeched loudly whipping around Toriel til she too was pulled from the wall. The force caused a chain reaction that snatched them from their anchors. Sans and Undyne made a vain attempt at using their magic to hold on to anyone or anything before the line snapped and the group was flung into the dark pit. Screams and darkness echoed through the violent winds before deathly silence pervaded the dark deep down. 

Frisk woke to Greater Dog nudging their shoulder whining worriedly. He barked in relief then bounded over to try and rouse someone else. Frisk felt utterly exhausted, nothing hurt and everything worked as it should but their body felt completely spent. Struggling to their side, Frisk crawled to Toriel. Panic and fear were trying desperately to overtake them at the thought of their mother not making it or dusting before them. 

“ Mom ...Mom! ” Frisk cried softly voice cracking as they tried to shake their mother awake. “ Sans! Undyne! ” Frisk cast a frightened look over to where Greater Dog loomed over one of the crumpled figures. Hot tears rolled down their face as they gripped handfuls of Toriel’s fur and pulled hoping the pain would wake her. Frisk faintly registered Undyne’s loud voice as she came to but heard nothing else over the thunderous sound of their heart pounding in their ears.  _ Mom please! Wake up! We made it?... We’re fine? I lived, she has to be fine. MOMMA! _ Frisk flung themselves over Toriel’s still form and buried their face into her neck fur.

“ My… child? ”

Her response had Frisk ugly crying clinging to her more as relief washed over them. Undyne and Greater Dog finally woke Sans but he seemed pretty out of it. He sat up, propped against Undyne’s leg while his skull bobbed and swiveled; his eye lights hazy and unfocused.

“ SANS YOU WITH US ?”

He gave a sort of drunk laugh while he stuck his hand out seemingly trying to reach for Frisk, “ Wow three kids didn’ know ya was in the bid’ness of adopting more Tori. ” His words slurred heavily and he smacked himself in the skull.

It took everyone a minute to regain themselves after the fall. They had taken no damage but the general consensus was they felt unbelievably drained. Undyne gave a few experimental taps to her watch causing it to blink in and out. They seemed to have lost connection to Alphys but everything else worked. So things weren’t ideal but they had all survived, they could still monitor each other and their surroundings, and most importantly the souls were undamaged. After everyone recovered they took in where they had fallen. They had landed in a soft patch of moss that gave pleasantly under their feet. The light from their gear showed the room had a few fallen logs strewn about that had small white fluted flowers creeping over most of the floor and up the wall. Their scent was unfamiliar and it mixed with water which could be heard softly trickling from somewhere off into the darkness. Undyne and Sans split up looking for a way out returning angrily when they didn’t find one. This couldn’t be it, there had to be a way forward. Maybe there was a hidden door that would react to magic or something similar. 

While everyone discussed the next course of action Frisk made their way carefully from the group, finding that the further into the cave they went, the more their light seemed to dim. The sound of trickling water became louder and the ground even began to squish underfoot. It appeared that there was a pool of some kind near this side of the wall. Frisk squinted over the still waters but couldn’t make out if there was a wall on the other side or just more darkness. They turned, making noise to get everyone's attention and pointed to the water. * Maybe this leads to where we need? * Frisk signed when they were close enough.

“ You might be right punk. ” Undyne gave the water a suspicious glance before she started to remove her gear. “ I’ll check it out, see if it has some sort of underwater tunnel or something .”

No sooner had her foot dipped into the water than light illuminated the area, her touch seemed to make the water itself glow a pale blue green. Toriel took ahold of Frisk drawing them behind her and the waters surface became more and more disturbed. A distant song eerily echoed from the black across the water before they recognized a similarity. It was an awfully feminan voice singing, “~Tra la la I am the River Person. Who calls? Beckons? I will take you where, I reckon. My boat, your boat to ways uncertain.~” A hooded figure stood at the bow of a dark boat that glided to the water’s edge. A large pale fluted flower hung off the front of the curled tip that emitted a bright glow as the River Person pulled flush against the bank.

Wary, Toriel stepped forward, “Hello, my name is Toriel Dreemurr. I am Queen of Monsters. These are my friends and this is my child. We have come to break the barrier for the monsters who are trapped here.” 

The hooded figure seemed to stare even without any outward signs of showing other than the front of their hood facing them. “~Tra la La… there is not much I can say… But hop aboard my boat and let us be on our way.” 

Once everyone was settled aborde, the boat glided smoothly away from the bank and into the dark. Frisk watched as the boat sliced through the water, they seemed to be going at a fairly fast pace and yet the water held no disturbance of their passing. As they left the cavern where they had fallen Frisk noticed the glow of the water had died down until they made it to a low tunnel where the water stopped glowing altogether. They were drowned in darkness briefly before small stones both under the water’s surface and along the walls began to glow. They looked like small pale gems just like the ones under Mt. Ebott. Gentle light danced over the group as nostalgia washed over them. Despite its beauty, the boat ride was making a few of them antsy. How far away were the monsters from here? Figuring this River Person wasn’t much for conversation much like their River Person had been, Sans took to examining the small tunnel, he needed a distraction. The walls were smooth but looked to be covered in tool markings and when he focused he noticed the majority of the tunnel was under the water. Overhead there was barely enough room for the tops of the boat to pass but under the water’s clear surface he could see it was fairly deep. Maybe the original way to access the rest of the cave had been to make a swim for it, interesting. 

The white flower unfurled a little more, its anthers glowing a brighter color showing them a thick wall of green approaching the end of the tunnel. It was a sort of curtain of fresh smelling moss. The River Person had procured a staff from somewhere which they used to tap gently on the boat causing it to slow. When close enough they used it to brush the greenery aside flooding the dark tunnel with a brighter light that caused the group to squint to adjust. Small sounds of awe swept through them as their eyes adjusted enough to see the town even earning a breathy ‘wow’ from Undyne. Large crystals were suspended from stalactites from what could be chalked up to magic since nothing seemed to be anchoring or attaching them in anyway. The light they gave off was a soft whitish blue and threw small rays of multi colored fractals about the space. The buildings were made of the black, grey, and white stone the cavern was made out of with accents of wood or clay and the streets were covered in pale sand. There was very little vegetation here but of what little there was were a few massive willow looking trees with branches decorated with glowing flowers and buds. The thorofare was bustling with monsters coming and going but as they drew closer to the bank many stopped on their ways to stand slack jawed. Murmurs of the old language wove through the group as the River Person slid to a halt on the bankside.

“~Tra la la… here or there it doesn’t matter where. Hurry, make haste. Be on your way no time to waste.”

Toriel stepped off first and gave a small bow, “ Greetings everyone, my name is Toriel. Me and my friends here have come to free you all by breaking the barrier. I am not certain who among you remembers, but before the war with the humans Asogre and myself ruled the monster kingdom. When the war was lost and we were imprisoned underground, Asogre and I thought we and those with us were the only ones left. However we have been free on the surface and have only just realized there might have been more trapped as we once were. ” 

Faces of the crowd read every emotion imaginable from shock, worry, joy, awe, and blank unreadable stares. Some had begun to inch forward as if unbelieving the sight of the new monsters before them. Some monsters had surfaced from the water behind them as well putting Sans a little on edge. A rock monster small in stature pointed to Frisk and not too quietly asked if they were a human. Their parent presumably grabbed them and tucked the child behind them as whispers of ‘is that a human child?’ rushed through everyone causing most that were near to step back in fear. Sans inched closer to Frisk and gripped the back of the gear tightly while keeping a socket on as many monsters as he could. 

“ This is Frisk, yes they are human. ” Toriel stated calmly. “ They are ambassored to monster kind and are my child. ” She stepped in front of Frisk, her demeanor changing immediately to a more powerful stance. Toriel was a kind and just queen but she was still a boss monster, a mother, and a formidable ruler. “ Without the help of my child, we would have still been trapped underground. Since our surfacing they have worked tirelessly for our rights and livelihood amongst the humans. ” 

“ Yeah Frisk is totally cool and awesome! ” Undyne chimed in hoisting them up onto her shoulder. “ It was the little punk’s suspicion that there might have been other locations monsters could have been trapped that led us here in the first place. ” 

There was a small parting in the monsters as an elderly monster came forward. From the waist up they looked like an old human that appeared slouched at the shoulders and wore a thick wool jerkin. His hair was thin and greying and his eyes were a pale blue. From the waist down however he had the body of a snake with scales of a dull black. He bowed before Toriel lowly then gestured towards the willow tree before speaking. 

“Your Majesty,” he started slowly, his voice thin and low. A ball of light floated down from the willow and nestled into his outstretched hand where he brought it into himself and gently covered it as if to pet the ball of light. “I never thought I would live to see the day Her Highness would return to us.” His eyes shimmered with unshed tears and a smile graced his wrinkled visage as he gazed upon Toriel. He held up his hand and spoke into it. The ball of light had changed they noticed to take the form of a small bug-like being. They had large eyes that glowed brighter than their skin, wings of gossamer, small arms and legs, and two frilly antena. “Go inform the Guardian and the Scholar,” he whispered. The little being chirped then shot off towards the back of the cavern.

At the acceptance of the older monster everyone continued about their business or fled the streets as he beckoned for them to follow. He slithered his way to a nearby building that seemingly filled the role of a cafe where to the best of his ability he explained their predicament. They had been separated during the war he began, much like the queen remembered there had been a fire and confusion during the last battle with the humans that had caused communication to be cut off from many a battalion. Mages had rounded them up and forced them into a small group. Noone knew what had befallen the king or queen as their captors could not keep their stories straight. Some said the others had been dusted while others lamented the fact they had gotten away. Regardless, their punishment had been the same, they were to be imprisoned under the mountains here and also had a group of mages seal them in with a barrier. He soon exhausted himself with the story and fell asleep in his chair.

“Newer mind baba,” said another snake monster. She had long dark hair along with red and white scales. She called herself Weisa and was one of four children of the elder monster. “He will wake soon. Pwease stay as long as you like,” she said smiling a dangerously sharp toothed smile. “This our tea shop. Ewen though we do not hawe much, we share with eweryone.”

A much smaller snake monster of the same black only much more vibrant, hung down from a rafter over their table. “Iss it twue?!” They asked with sparking yellow eyes. “Will we be abwe to ssee the ssky!”

“ But of course little one, ” Toriel smiled back.

“ YEAH! Our mission is to totally free you guys! ” Undyne fist pumped into the air, “ We’re gonna free all monsters lil punk! ”

Before they could ask any more Weisa had returned and shooed him away. Many other monsters passed by the shop casting wary glances inside the shop getting mixed reactions from the group. Greater Dog seemed completely at ease while Undyne and Toriel were relaxed they were still being vigilant for Frisk. Sans however could not stop himself from studying each and every one of them. There had been a few monsters he recognized but many more he had not. The small wisp like creature, the rock monsters, and this family of snake monsters were just a few. How many lived underground here and how had they come to be completely different from the monsters he knew? He mentioned this to Toriel in hushed tones which she speculated that many types of monsters had been cut off from each other due to the confusion at the last battle. It was plausible then the group they were with under Ebott would vary some from these monsters, even perhaps more monsters that might yet still be in other locations.

A knock came from the front entrance of the shop that drew their attention. A dryad made of wood with the body of a fawn bowed their head to them. They pawed at the ground gently before their voice carried through the room though they didn’t seem to have a mouth to speak with. “ * Follow me please. The Scholar and Guardian are ready to conviene with you. * ” 

They were led through town and even though they felt the ever present eyes of many on them, no one accosted them. Frisk seemed to fidget with the attention, no doubt worried how the monsters of this underground felt about a human in their midst. Sans too wasn’t overly fond of all the attention they were receiving but found himself relaxing more at the absence of ill intent. The path they were on turned up and wound around the town higher and higher until they were very nearly over looking the entire cavern. The fractals from the crystals danced about brightly here bathing them in rainbows. Their guide had stopped at a large carved stone door, knocked three times and was answered by a loud rumble from the other side as it slid open. This place was the White District their guide mentioned, this door would lead to Agartha their main city. They were headed to the north end of Agartha, to Dinas where they would meet the Guardian. All who entered spoke to the Guardian and they would need the Guardian’s approval if they were to meet with Scholar to further speak on the matter of freeing them. 

The White District had been beautiful with its waterfront and shining crystals but Agartha was something else entirely. Old Home had been built into the underground as best they could manage but the structures here shamed it. Homes seemed to make up the most of the buildings in Agartha, but they had been masterfully carved into the dark stone walls in spirals and delicate halls or bridges. The space opened before them into a sheer drop into darkness but above like before, had large crystals floating overhead. These shone in warm tones of yellow and orange, matching the smaller ones that dotted the walls and made up the “fires” or other such light fixtures in the homes. There were about three long rope bridges that connected the east side of the cavern to the other, one that followed around a thick stalactite down to lower levels, and one that went north to Dinas. The monsters here were much more numerous and didn’t seem to think their group out of place as some either greeted them or ignored them completely. Their guides name was Ra as monsters who greeted them eluded to as much and a few stopped what they were doing to talk with them for a while before being on their way. Ra stopped at the bridge leading north and bowed to them once more. 

“ * I must leave you here. Another will take you the rest of the way. Fear not, if your intentions are to free us I am certain the Guardian will not find you wanting. Please do not be afraid of her. * ” Their tone turned sad at the end but otherwise had radiated peace and confidence. Toriel thanked them then they went on their way.

It didn’t take long before down the bridge a ways, they saw another floating light approach. It was a finely armored Whimsalot who saluted them then excitedly showed them across the bridge. Her high pitched voice was full of excitement as she asked them many of the same questions, were they really going to free them? Queen Toriel they had heard about but it was a great honor to finally meet her. How did they break free from their prison, had it been long? What was the surface like? While everyone chatted Sans felt his nerves spike as he thought about what the dryad had said. This Guardian sounded ominous, why exactly should they be afraid of them? Frisk caught his attention with a concerned look of their own as if to ask what was bothering him.

“Eh, it’s like this kiddo. I keep racking my ‘brain’ but I keep coming up,” he balled his hand up then and held it over theirs to drop something into their palm. Frisk looked at him odd when he pulled his hand away then waved it with a wink, “ … empty handed.” Frisk rolled their eyes. “C’mon i really gotta hand it to ya, should’a seen that coming,” he laughed.

*You should stop before things get out of hand * They signed giving Sans the side eye. 

“Aw c’mon don’t tell me you can’t ‘hand’le these puns. I think i would know first‘hand’ how many more I could do before things go south.” Sans snickered quietly while Frisk made a show of pushing him to get him shush.

At the end of the bridge there was a tall archway covered in a sheet of flowered vines. Small white flowers peppered the spaces inbetween large red, purple, and yellow blooms filling the air with a heavenly perfume. Upon their approach the vines lifted and parted of their own accord, falling closed once they were through gently. There weren’t any crystals here to give off light instead slices of actual sunlight filtered through from above casting large rays of gold through the area. The whimsalot flew on ahead darting around a large gnarled tree where they heard her pay quiet respects then flew back out the way they had come. The section of room they could see was spacious and was decorated with large granite and limestone standing stones or benches and statues. The ground varied starting at where they had entered looking as if it were dying but became more patchy further in. Nothing grew along most of the ground other than soft moss or clover. The tree before them was massive having a thick trunk and heavy low hanging branches that were covered in moss or more of the flowered vines. The air was still, almost dead even though it felt pleasant and carried the scent of a lovely garden. The eastern and western sides of the room diverged off into more land some in states of utter decay while others seemed to be in the throws of spring. 

“Greetings,” called a tired voice.

Toriel made a move to speak but was cut off by the appearance of who greeted them. They groaned as they stood then turned out from the cover of the trunk to make their way to the group. This monster stood nearly seven foot tall and had skin and fur of royal purple. Their hair was a vibrant blood red half braided up in a crown upon her head and had massive feathered wings that drug the ground behind her. The wings began white and slowly faded into black as did the ends of her hands and feet, which were cloven. Her eyes were a deep red, their gaze piercing and guarded as she inspected each of them. Her face was angular, delicate with high cheekbones and prominent pointed ears. 

“I hear you are here to free the people,” she drawled in a foreign accent, leaning heavily on the staff she held. 

“ Greetings ,” Toriel replied with a gentle bow of her head. “ I am Toriel, Queen of Monsters. We have broken the barrier under Mt. Ebott and freed the monsters there, now we come bearing the souls needed to break the barrier here. ” 

“I am Neely the last of the Guardians.” Her eyes passed over them in a mask of boredom and sadness then settled on Frisk. “Human, come here.”

Frisk gave a small start but made a move to step forward regardless until a hand on their shoulder stopped them. Sans gave a comforting squeeze then stepped in front of them, “ Listen pal, Frisk is special to us just what do you intend to do with them .”

“ **I am Neely, Guardian of this place! None may trespass without my blessing!** ” She bristled at the skeleton. Her eyes zoned in on him and her magic flared aggressively as she bared her fangs at him. “Those who enter here must be judged, weighed, measured for the sake of the people, for the sake of this land.” She raised a hand and pointed to Toriel, “I know what you carry, I can sense it. Poor SOULS that cry out in their existence, wanting an end, begging for it! I know what price is needed to pay to break the barrier but we have not been so fortunate.” Her gaze snapped back to Sans as she continued to snarl, “Everyone one of you will pass through my gaze if you wish to remain. Human! Come. Here.”

Frisk petted Sans hand and gave him a confident nod before striding over to the Guardian. They stood small in comparison to the monster with their shoulders squared and feet planted firmly. Neeley’s eyes flashed a deep purple briefly as she looked down upon Frisk who now stood transfixed like a mouse in front of a snake. A small tremor shook them and their hands gripped onto their sweater clenching and unclenching it rapidly as they listened to a voice only they could hear. Long tense seconds ticked away before Neely released whatever hold they had on them, dismissing Frisk to rejoin the others with shaking steps. Toriel was next to offer herself to the Guardian also quaking under the steadfast gaze. Soon everyone in the party had passed under the fear inducing gaze of the elder monster and it was Sans’ turn. He tried keeping his face casual, ever the smiling mask, but when her gaze focused on him the sharp purple of her eyes tore into him. Timelines good, bad, and in between blurred his vision and voices past clouded his mind. Neely’s voice washed through his skull commenting on his power, his knowledge. He had been through much, succumbed to much more, the knowledge he had at his disposal was much too much and it would crush him. If Sans thought he witnessed horrors before manifested by his own anxieties, they were nothing compared to the sheer terror he fought now under her awful gaze. Sans locked himself in place, willing his bones to not rattle as he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and sweat poured down his skull. He would  **not** let his fears get the better of him, Frisk wouldn’t reset… they promised. What good is a promise from one such as them, he heard Neely’s voice again, what if they die? Everything would be for nothing.

After what seemed like hours, Sans too had passed through the Guardians gaze, shaken but not found wanting. Slight tremors wracked the purple figure nearly unnoticeable to all but the most scrutinizing of gazes when she had finished with them. “To the eastern side of this cavern you will find the Scholar. Speak with him, he can help you with your quest.” Without another word or care to the group she turned and sat heavily once again at her place on the tree.

They followed the old flagstone path towards the east in silence, the chill of passing the Guardians gaze still lingering in their core. Sans especially seemed shaken as he mulled over the fears he had been shown, this Guardian apparently acted as this places Judge which did  _ not _ put him at ease. The landscape here was dead, the air slightly more cold, and near the end of the wall was a large shack. A small amount of smoke billowed from under a cauldron out front and curled up toward one of the openings at the top of the cave. Laughter rang out from within followed by the loud sound of feet stampeding through the house. The front door was flung open and two small children bolted out of it squealing and looking back over their shoulders. A third emerged who seemed a bit older, flailing a rag at them yelling, and laughing as they gave chase. They stopped when they noticed the new arrivals, adjusted their clothing, and fixed them with a genuine smile. 

“Welcome I’m Rose, this is Gabriel and English, my boys. You must be here for Ragland.” Her smile faltered just a bit at the shocked silence.

“Yes… We are? Is this where we will find Ragland the one they call… the Scholar?” Asked Toriel as she stared at the three of them in shock.

There was nothing other worldly odd about them, their clothes were simple enough, the thing that was off putting about this family was that it seemed they were skeletons. Sans stood mouth agape as his mind raced. There were more skeletons, he and Papyrus had not been the last of their kind! Was Ragland another skeleton? How many more lived here? What was this!? Rose shooed the children to go play while she ushered everyone inside. They were greeted by two male skeletons who had been lounging in the parlor, Braebrun, mate to Rose and the one and only Ragland. It was odd to see no similarities amongst any of them, Braeburn was stout and large with very blocky features. He seemed made more of stone than bone while Rose was thin and elegant. The two boys even contrasted one another with English appearing to be the smaller of the two while Gabiel looked rough. He had small healed scars over most of his skull and arms but every bone was sharp as if they would cut and he had two very small horns, nothing more than sharp nubs at this point. Ragland however looked by far the most different from all of them. He was tall, just barely taller than Toriel, thin, and had a fused skull that was oval and pristine. His teeth stretched wide across his face like an imitation of those things humans called sugar skulls and his sockets were over large with eyelights glowing not white but of a russet pink. What seemed to unify them were how they all sounded, they had a very odd accent that came out in a rather sing song manner.

“Greetings and salutations long traveled guests!” He bowed to them with a flourish. “Please come in sit down, news of your arrival swept through the grapevine as it were and I’m sure we have a plethora of things to discuss. How you came to break your barrier, found us as indeed you have, and how you came to store SOULS. That… for me at least is a most interesting topic indeed. Ah but we have awhile, sit tell me about yourselves, we don’t have much but we are more than happy to share what we have. Rose, go and tell my daughter we have guests so that she might make proper arrangements for dinner.” 

When everyone was seated Toriel began, she gave the introductions and shared a little about the underground where they had broken free from and the time they had spent on the surface. Ragland recounted their history as best he could remember and he told them of their most pressing matters. The monsters here were just beginning to feel the effects of the shortage of food. The blight that had stuck the land above them hard had only with the past decade or more made it down into the underground and had begun killing of their crops as well as making it all but impossible for the vegitoids and other such monsters to reproduce. He had been working for many years on fixing the problem but had made little to no progress with his studies. Each group listened and responded appropriately to each side's stories and conversation passed till serious matters needed to be discussed. With a knowing look and curt nod Ragland instructed Rose to remove the children as they set in about the SOULS and the process by which they had acquired and stored them. During the entire exchange everyone save one listened intently, the one being the only other skeleton in the room still in shock about the existence of more of his kind. The kid had insisted that there could be more monsters, more locations in which they could be sealed underground. He knew when they first mentioned it, it had been more of a worry, a personal nightmare and never in a million years would he have guessed their suspicion to be true. Yet here they were in the presence of a small skeleton family. What if there was a third location? What if that location had more skeletons too? More of other monsters that had been thought to be the last of their kind? Why had there been no mention of this in any of Gaster’s notes, had he not known, what more information had slipped through their fingers?


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we share a little information, sharing is caring right? Our group tells a little about how their underground was and they learn a few things about their new... location. Sansy boy gets a bit curious and is rewarded i mean who doesn't want to reward Sans amiright? Will he get what he wants or will the information leave him 'rattled'? Will start posting the musical inspiration for some of these chapters at the end of the chapters if you'd like to give them a listen.

**Chapter 3**

**Revelations**

With the children gone, Toriel had taken out one of the SOUL containers and showed it to Ragland. On her belt were smaller versions of the original containers, Alphys had improved the technology to be compact while not in use but would allow, with a simple twist of the edges, for the container to expand. With its outer walls now open the cylinder had an exposed glass casing where one could view the SOUL still safe within. The SOUL Ragland now held was the Bravery SOUL. His eyelights glimmered and expanded while he turned it this way and that seemed to be in complete awe. He gently tapped the sides with his phalanges making small tinking noises before gingerly handing it back to Toriel.

“Simply amazing.” Ragland sat back in his chair keeping his posture straight and folded his hands over themselves in front of his face. “I never would have fathomed a way of holding a SOUL like this. And there are six SOULS correct? Surely you did not bring your child, Frisk, down here to serve as the seventh SOUL?” He tapped worriedly on his jaw and his eyelights shook with concern, it would have been a foolish thought after all for the Queen of monsters to come bearing their child’s SOUL as the final offering.

“ While it is true Frisk’s SOUL was the seventh we needed the circumstances of  _ how _ it was used is why they are still with us. ” Toriel’s hand found Frisks and she grasped it firmly. “ You see the first human to fall went by the name Chara. The King and I had a son of our own, Asriel, he befriended Chara to the point they were as close as siblings and so we adopted them. Because of … painful events we lost them both when they tried breaking through the barrier themselves. But behind the scenes our scientists were still researching ways we might have broken it and inadvertently… ” Toriel floundered as her eyes teared up, no doubt finding it hard to voice her opinions on having found out her son had somehow been made into a soulless being. Ragland again nodded in understanding and offered no rush to her answering. “ Frisk’s SOUL was returned to them by one we call Flowey, who was able to take the SOULs we had along with Frisk’s to break the barrier. He relinquished the power of all the SOULs as a matter of fact which is how we still have them to use. ”

Off towards the back of the house a door was opened and closed as footsteps entered where they heard Rose call out her return. She had fetched Alchemy as she was asked and she was busying herself in the kitchen. Another set of noises came then from the kitchen indicating just that. Rose beamed at them and asked if it would be alright for Greater Dog to go outback to play with the children since they had been so delighted with his arrival in particular. This earned a chuckle from most everyone and Toriel of course excused him to go play which he acknowledged with a happy bark then bounded off towards the backdoor. Rose thanked them and bowed out saying if she were needed further she could be found in the kitchen.

“It may very well be this Flowey has special abilities then, possessed by one lacking a SOUL which is in and of itself very interesting but the most troubling thing is this.” He looked to each of them, his features tight, “How were you to come free us then, with only six? You had no way of knowing we would have no SOULs collected of our own… it would have you stranded down here with us until the final SOUL fell?” Everyone became awfully still at this while Ragland had stood and began to pace frantically. They had not in fact thought of the possibility that they would have no SOULs, the likelihood of it just seemed too incomprehensible. “We are fortunate however,” he added, coming to a halt then kneeling before Toriel. “We do… we have just the one but another problem is… We do not possess a soulless being. That many SOULs would have an immeasurable, possibly damning effect on any monster to take them all, who would perhaps be so overcome with power they may not relinquish them. And I would dread unleashing that being upon the surface.”

“ He’s right, ” said Sans solemnly. For the briefest of moments his sockets sat empty at the realization of how they could have royally messed up not only in the assumption they had been lucky enough to even collect one SOUL but they had left Flowey. The little weed was hardly helpful on a good day and in his opinion little more than mouthy decor on bad ones but he had been pivotal in them gaining freedom. “ Having that many human SOULs grants godly powers but also corrupts wholey, we have no way of exactly knowing if Flowey’s lack of SOUL is the very thing that saved him. Saved us all. ” He and Alphys had crunched the numbers many times, by all rights any monster in the underground, Boss or not, would have collapsed in under a week from all the determination. That was just factoring the base seven needed for the barrier, if they had consumed others? Well that would be a whole new set of calculations. They should have thought of Flowey, they should have brought him knowing at least in his god powered state he would want Frisk back and thus returned the SOULs. Now they were probably stuck underground again until they could find a suitable monster to not only absorb all seven SOULs but that might not become corrupted. That or the other option of finding one that would be willing to take them then die. Sans mind raced with ideas, would they even be able to stop a monster that wouldn’t want to return the SOULs?

Ragland reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a watch. He sighed heavily then stuffed it back into his pocket and gave the Queen’s hand a pat before standing, “I’m afraid we’ve rather soured the conversation.” A smile graced his features though it was a bit sad, “I had no intentions of making our first meeting such a … bleak one. Come, dinner will be ready soon. Let us talk of different topics for the time being.”

And talk they did, this time it was more about the hows, wheres, whens, and whos of the underground they grew up in. Undyne offered stories of her training with Gerson and Asgore with great exuberance and also of Alphys and her experiments. They each helped explain the CORE with Sans having the most knowledge on its workings. By comparison Ragland gave a short explanation to their own energy needs being met by the crystals found naturally in the mountain. Toriel had asked about the variants of monsters living here, some she recognized and hadn’t seen since before the war. Ragland gave her the short version opting for the more detailed telling at a later date in lue of keeping conversation light. Before long wonderful smells permeated the room from the kitchen and soft happy singing and laughter could be heard among the other sounds of cooking. Braeburn had fetched the children and had them wash up for dinner before returning to everyone along with Greater Dog. He and Ragland moved to fix the table pulling out extra lips and folding them up to have more space.

“ Where are your chairs Ragland? Allow us to help set the table. ” Toriel offered.

“Oh no your Majesty! What sort of host would I be to let my guests have to work,” he gave another gracious bow before setting off readying the table.

Undyne shifted a bit in her chair then whispered as best she could, “ You know… even with being on the surface as long as we have. I think I’d prefer being treated like how the humans did to all this royalty crap. No offence your Majesty, it’s just we know how to set a table! Nyyaahhg! ” 

Ragland returned and ushered them to their table. The dining room was a modest size and it had a hallway entrance leading both from the living room and to the kitchen. It had well worn wood paneling and a smooth stone floor. The chairs were a bit mismatched having some short and round while the rest were more square and long legged. It was set with two loaves of bread, a large pot steaming with broth, and a platter piled high with some kind veggie wraps. Rose worked quickly to bring over a pie as well which she sat right in the center.

“Not everyday we get to have pie but I thought it would be a nice addition and help welcome you to our home!” Rose smiled again fidgeting with her apron.

“It is,” Braeburn encouraged, giving her a peck to the temple making her blush a dull blue grey. He called for the boys then they all sat.

Another skeleton came in from the kitchen with a tray of tea which she used to serve everyone before handing two to Ragland. He gestured for her to stop a moment, “This is my daughter Alchemy. Alchemy this is the Queen and her entourage that have come to free us.” 

She set the tray to the side quickly, dusted herself off, then bowed to Toriel pulling her skirts out in a formal curtsy. “It is an honor, your Majesty.” Her voice was heavily accented like Ragland’s but also a bit broken and subdued as if speaking were hard.

“ Your daughter is quite polite and might I say has very beautiful eyes. ” Toriel said, smiling warmly.

Alchemy’s cheeks dusted purple before she swatted her father’s hand. “Ah-ow! Yes thank you though I wish she were polite to her dear old man.” He said feigning hurt as he rubbed the back of his hand. 

Alchemy had repositioned the teas, again placing a certain one before the other. She pointed specifically to it and eyed him, “Deoch first, then you can have the other. I am plenty polite to you.”

Everyone got to introducing themselves again answered with a nod or brief smile from Alchemy while the food was served. It wasn’t until Frisk was introduced and about to dig in did Alchemy speak up again.

“No, Da!  Fan, ní féidir léi é sin a ithe! Uh… Rose… you didn’t say there was a human.” Alchemy floundered a bit, purple creeping across her cheeks more pronounced this time.

“ You got a problem with the punk being a human? ” Undyne asked, pausing halfway from taking a bite as well.

Alchemy sat up almost uncomfortably straight in her chair and waved her hands, “Oh no! No no nothing like that it’s just… I didn’t… Rose just said guests.” She frantically looked between Rose and her father. “Humans can’t eat… uh the leaves.” She picked at the napkin next to her plate but kept eye contact almost in a pleading manner, “Uh rhubarb leaves can be quite toxic to humans. They are kind of bitter but are high in calcium you see, it’s why I trade it for cabbage, heh … It’s good for growing skelechildren.” English and Gabriel took the time to look around the table then sheepishly went back to hurriedly eating their wraps. Alchemy pushed her plate back and went to get up, “Le do thoil, allow me to make something else. I’m sure I could make something quick and-”

Toriel quickly waved to interrupt, “ Forgive me but that’s quite alright. There is plenty to eat, no need to trouble yourself on making more. ” Frisk made a sound of agreement and quickly signed to Toriel. “ Ah that’s right. We all still have some rations in our packs, if Frisk is still hungry they have something they can eat in the meantime. ”

Alchemy returned to her seat nodding and agreeing but still not quite losing the look of embarrassment while she ate.

Ragland grimaced, taking the first cup of tea and draining it quickly before focusing on Sans, “You’ve been quiet my boy I hope our earlier conversation hasn’t dampened the mood too much for you?”

“ Oh no not dampened at all. Heh nothing could rain on my parade, ” he said with a shrug and a wink. Toriel and Frisk snickered quietly to his side. “ It’s just a lot to think about now. Here we thought we had come up with everything for a quick solution to your problem and… ” And here he had messed up again. Leave it to him and his big ego to think he had figured it all out then low and behold left out key parts.

“Ah but that’s life my boy,” Ragland said smiling to him. “Existence as we know is perfect chaos and it balances on the thinest of lines. There is no exception to it other than when there is and there’s no way to prepare for everything. But you're a bright young man, I’m sure with your help we will get it sorted out.” 

Dinner was delicious, the rhubarb leaves were bitter but not overly so and complimented the veggies on the inside well. They had never had soda bread before but it was fresh, filling and paired wonderfully with the broth. The pie was cherry on top as it were, Rose had taken great pride in filling it with pears, apples, and rhubarb and the crust was crispy, it’s crunch enhanced with brown sugar. While the boys cleaned up Alchemy excused herself to take some food to Neely but informed the boys she would be back in time to say goodnight.

Toriel took great delight in discussing English and Gabriel. The two showed a little of their magic to the group, English had been trying his best to manifest his special attack which according to him would be a fierce pack of hounds. Gabriel teased him that if by hounds he meant one sickly cat then yes he had a pack of hounds. This caused a quick wrestling match over who could do better, resulting with a fresh scratch on Gabriel before he took his turn. He made a pair of spiked bone knuckles that Undyne cheered extra hard over. He had a piece of wood he used to practice punching on that held knicks and holes as testament to how powerful they were. He was pleased with them but still frustrated he could only make them strong enough for a few punches before they would break away to dust. Braeburn and Rose left to tuck the children in then returned shortly with more tea and blankets and pillows to set them up in the living room. Frisk was brought up then by them who thought it fascinating they had been adopted into a monster family. Had they been worried at first, maybe felt like they would not belong? Did they ever feel awkward about their choice? Frisk didn’t mind answering at all which of course no, it had surprised them with the ease they settled into being a family with Toriel and Asgore. They never felt like they did not belong with their monster family if anything they felt more connected to them than they ever had to anyone that had come before. 

They hadn’t meant anything bad by asking these types of questions, Rose spoke up. They had wondered if Toriel or Frisk might have advice on a split family since that had been the case with them. “As you might be able to tell, the boys don’t have a lot in common. We… we sort of made English.” Rose looked to Ragland who nodded for them to continue, “Braeburn and I only reproduced Gabriel through mating. But before that, with Raglands help, we made English. We plan on telling them but we were worried they may see each other's differences and not how they are brothers.” Braeburn hugged Rose closer to him and held her hands in his.

“ I believe they will remain brothers no matter what you tell them. ” Toriel encouraged.

“ I’d have to agree, ” added Sans. “ It’s not how they were made that matters to them. All that's going to matter is how they are there for each other. ”

“ YEAH! But you should also totally tell them the truth! Having everything out in the open keeps misunderstandings from happening. So just sit’em down, give it your all, and tell them how it is! ” Undyne slapped her thigh and gave a loud ‘Nyaah’ clearly getting worked up.

“ If you don’t mind me asking, ” Sans started, trying to keep his eagerness at bay. “ I wouldn’t say no to touring your facilities. I never got to see the area where uh, my father had made my brother and I but if you still have it around… ” The subject of creating other skeletons very much intrigued him. At best he had only found some journals of Gaster’s that were encrypted and vague about the process he went through to make Papyrus and himself. Maybe this was the key to bolstering the skeleton population again and even though it was not his speciality, he would definitely take a crack at it if it meant preserving his kind. Heh, maybe he was more like his father than he wanted to admit.

Ragland got an interesting glint to his eyelights as he tilted his head to the side. He paused as if he were going to say something but thought better of it then nodded vigorously, “Of course my boy!  Scientia sit potentia, yes?”

*~Sans POV~*

Makeshift beds were set up in the parlor to accommodate everyone. Greater Dog had a large lumpy pillow sat in front of a fireplace, Undyne was set up in their day window, Toriel and Frisk slept together on the floor, leaving Sans with his all time favorite, a nice homey couch. Before it got too late Alchemy returned and bid everyone goodnight then set off to tuck in the children. He could hear the faintest of sounds drift down the hall as a song was sung in some unfamiliar language. It was melancholy, soothing even and if he listened hard enough he could hear English and Gabriel sing along. Dim light at the end of the hall extinguished to darkness and he heard the soft shutting of a door followed by quiet steps leading to the floor above. Sans sighed to himself and shut his sockets. Everyone had passed into slumber but his own mind raced with curiosity. Hours passed while he pondered their possibilities of escape, which had the highest probability to work versus those that didn’t. How had they come to only have one SOUL anyway? The entrance was different from their own, that was true enough but it wasn’t like it was inaccessible. This mountain was even part of a park… people could hike here, it wasn’t like the path they had taken to the entrance was secret. Despite those and other nagging questions he filed away to ask Ragland later, the other thing really bugging him was how different their underground was. The White district,  Agartha, even Dinas had a unifying theme and surprisingly the crystals weren’t the main one. Nearly everyone they had run into or passed talked in the old language , he had picked up some latin, and some other that wasn’t familiar with very few speaking english. He had noticed a severe lack of anything from the last few decades and from their structures down to their clothes had to have been centuries old.

Sans shuffled around gently and scrunched his pillow into a more comfortable spot as his browbones furrowed. They had crystals to give them light, warmth, and resonate energy but he had not seen the first gadget other than the ones they brought with them. It could just be chalked up to having not seen everywhere or everything yet. They had called Ragland ‘the Scholar’ which in and of itself sounded old and whereas Sans had no doubt he was brilliant, the title was starting to nag him. Then there was this business of his major screw up… the miscalculation of a lifetime. They had really lucked out that the monsters here had gathered a SOUL but then again honestly how did they have only one?! The humans that had fallen had many years, almost one per generation between them which would make since given the way folk stories go and how there always seemed to be at least one village idiot.  _ Well.. village fool… _ Sans thought. It would take a fool brave or no to climb a fabled cursed mountain just for fun. Turning more into his pillow, Sans huffed in frustration. He would never get to sleep at this rate, plus he couldn’t kid himself he was  really excited to see how Ragland had managed to create more skeletons. Sans thought back to the partially damaged labs Gaster left behind. With what they could find and Gaster’s journals, there had been plenty to speculate he had somehow grown them, heh, like test tube babies. But everything had been redacted or at least everything of real importance and it was another of those experiments that no one could recall.

The barely audible sound of a door closing had Sans losing his train of thought. He cracked open a socket to a still pitch black parlor and a once again silent house.  _ Nothing to worry about Sansy, old houses make old noises. _ He shut his socket again with a shrug, it’s not like they couldn’t move around in their own house anyway. Stars he hated being underground, here he was getting edgy over- . . .

There had been no footsteps but he heard another distinct sound of a door being fiddled with, this time it was closer and near the back of the house. He took a shortcut out into the hall and willed his eyelights gone. There was a figure near the back door of the kitchen. They had stopped seeming to sense him near and looked around. Even without the missed matched eyelights or any light for that matter, Sans could tell it was Alchemy. Oddly enough she wore very dark clothing one being a snug fitting waistcoat, a black shawl over her skull and shoulders, she had her skirts drawn up tightly around her like they were bound to keep them from rustling, and a thick leather pack slung over one shoulder. Satisfied at apparently having not spotted him she focused her attention back to the door. Once the handle had been ever so quietly turned she ran her fingers gently over the door, wrapping it in a blue aura, then she lifted them away letting the blue magic pull up on the old door. It swung open with practiced ease without a sound allowing Alchemy to slip through without anyone the wiser. Well other than Sans of course.  _ Where exactly is she going? _ Sans tilted his skull to the side and checked his watch. It was 3:12 in the a.m. just where did she have to sneak off to at 3 a.m.? He watched her out a window adjust herself and let her skirts loose before she darted off into the dark. Taking a shortcut outside, since he wasn’t getting to sleep any time soon, Sans opted to follow her to see what she was up to. 

He kept his distance but still kept her easily in his sights. Somehow it had escaped his attention in the house, either he really had been so deep in thought or it was well insulated, but a storm on the surface had blown in. The fresh smell of  petrichor filled his senses and he could just hear the sound of thunder and pattering of rain off in the distance. Maneuvering through the dark wasn’t a problem for him, most monsters had great night vision, but without following Alchemy closely he surely would have gotten lost. Large limestone statues, crumbling murals, and half dead flora littered the area forming a sort of maze. Sans also took care to step where she had in lue of setting off any puzzles. He noticed the ground becoming more and more desolate the longer they walked until finally they had reached whatever destination she had sought. She had laid her pack off to the side and dug around in it before pulling out a few glass vials and one rather large jar.  _ Hmm maybe the bag works like Alphys’ dimension boxes. _ Using her magic to guide most of the rain into their respectful vessels, she made quick work of gathering what she needed. Perhaps she had somehow forecasted the weather and needed this for something? She took them back down the path from before only they didn’t end at the house, instead she turned back behind their small garden, and past a shed to what looked like another secret garden encased by a bubble. Carefully she shed her outer layer of clothes down to her boots, pressed her hands to the surface of the green iridescent bubble, then pushed. It gave with a slight jiggle as she popped over to the other side then took it’s form like nothing had happened. Sans shortcutted as close as he dared, he really wanted to test if it was genuine barrier magic and how strong it was, if it would allow for any to pass through or if only a select few could? Things to note for a later date. 

She wasted no time in setting up, again using her magic to rearrange tables, tools, and various plants to her needs. Toriel had been right, she had a very peculiar set of eyelights. Her right shown a brighter pink than did Ragland’s but it did resemble the color, while her left was an azure almost sapphire tone. Even though she seemed tired, her eyelights remained sharp and focused, glinting in a special way while she worked. She took the large jar of rainwater and poured it into a glass beaker, then into another contraption that made him squint in confusion. It had a bowl that had a small fire lit under it and a long spout that led into another. Why did it look vaguely familiar… the question buzzed around in his skull. While it sat to boil she had procured a large book from somewhere and had begun writing in it as she took one of the smaller vials. She filled a dropper with it then tested it on a few strips of paper before adding it to a group of four sprouts. She repeated this process frowning at a few of her readings and skipped adding the water to some of the sproutlings. She stirred crystals that hung from a section of the magical greenhouse, causing them to brighten and shine a soft orange then she quickly placed all of the ‘successful’ plant subjects under them. The large container of water had all but boiled over into the smaller reservoir now, so she cut the flame and studied what had been left behind. From where he hid there was nothing discernable from within nor could he tell if she had found anything. She was trying to see if something was in the water? Was it toxic or poisonous? After some time she took the collected water from the jar and began adding various crushed powders she had prepared from a mortar and pestle. The water shifted in color even had sparks dance across its surface before returning to a state of normalcy. She spent another long while scribbling away in her book before she was done. Sans yawned and checked his watch it was nearly 6 a.m. And while this had saited his curiosity he was now kicking himself for staying up all night just to creep on someone while they gardened for lack of a better word.

He had to admit the barrier was fascinating but just as he was about to leave she did something else. The barrier kept any sound in but she was clearly saying something and expelling a good deal of magic. Pink, blue, and a mix of purple and green magic suffused the air in the bubble and all the plants seemed to drink in it. Whatever she was doing made the flora wilting or not grow more vibrant and healthy. A few more minutes of this passed and then she exited the bubble sighing heavily and physically sagging with effort. She gathered her things and made her way back to the house which Sans took as his cue to take a shortcut back himself. This time when she returned the back door groaned with its heavy weight, the noise still not enough to wake anyone sleeping in the parlor. She made her way through the house, opening curtains as she made her way upstairs. She returned first to fetch a bucket and head outside, then Rose meandered down and went out back leaving the door open. The women busied themselves with what he guessed was their morning routine before the boys made it down, clothes disheveled, and rubbing their sockets as they too set out to work gathering logs for the fire or preparing the table. Despite the low morning drone, Sans closed his sockets and snagged a small nap, waking  when Fri sk shook him awake letting him know breakfast was ready.

*~~~~~*

After a small breakfast, Gabriel and English went to gather a cart from out back while Braeburn gathered a few supplies to fill it with. The boys were going to leave with him to trade for food in town and if anyone wanted to go with them they were more than welcome. Undyne and Greater Dog took the opportunity to go with them while Frisk wanted to stay inside to read from a few of the books they had. Ragland took some time to sit with Sans in the parlor where he chatted idly with Toriel while he drank more of the tea he despised.

“ Which tea is that you keep nursing Ragland? ” Toriel asked after his third cup.

“ Yeah I gotta admit curiosi-tea is eating me up ,” Sans added, earning a quick snicker from Toriel.

Frisk placed their book down and signed back *Wow you had all of 15 minutes and you open up with ‘curiosi-tea’. Unbelievable.”

“ Kid I’m hurt, the koala tea of my puns are what’s unbe-leaf-able .” Sans tutted and shook his skull. “ What if I wanted to enjoy the serenitea of this brew-teaful morning a little bit? You’d have to know they would be coming before too much oolonger .”

Frisk held their side and dissolved into laughter, this time earning a rather undignified bark of laughter from Toriel as well. *The master for a reason kid ;)*

Ragland flushed slightly pink and choked on his drink from trying to stifle a laugh. “Ah well, it’s a special blend my daughter dear seems fit to make me drink.” He shot a quick glance out the window then down the hallway as if checking for Alchemy before continuing, “Thinks it will improve my health.” He says the last bit with a heavy sigh before he downs his cup and grimaces pouring himself another.

“ Oh! I was not aware you were in poor health, is there anything I can do to help? I am quite skilled in healing magics. ” Toriel offered now eyeing him with a mother’s scurtany. 

“I am merely old,” he said waving his hand dismissively. “And I’ve spent too long imbalanced.” Rose and Alchemy rounded the front yard with a large basket and set to hanging the laundry up to dry. Ragland watched as a fond look washed over him and he relaxed, “I would trade nothing for it.”

When the laundry was hung the girls came in to start cleaning with Rose starting upstairs leaving Alchemy to do the first floor. She entered the parlor first giving a small kiss to Ragland’s temple, “ Da,  críochnaithe? ” He hummed in response which made her happy. She took the tray of now empty tea set and milled about dusting and putting away the bedding.

“Sans my boy, I agreed to show you around today did I not?” Sans could tell from his knowing look Ragland knew how excited he was. “Let’s get you changed and we’ll make the first stop.”

The clothes he changed into made him feel a bit silly but at least he wasn’t alone, Ragland wore something similar. He had long baggy trousers that he had to fold up a few times and that were held up by suspenders, a sturdy button down, and a thick corduroy vest he left open. Ragland had walked him to the back garden and explained the barrier magic held in place while he removed his shoes. 

“It’s a small bit of irony that a barrier is what has monsters trapped underground,” he started. “Did you know in our early times it was monsters that taught humans how to produce barriers?” He stripped his socks off next and gave his bones an experimental wiggle in the earth.

“No really? Other than a bunch of anime heh… we didn’t really have a lot on human history, on human anything really, although it's generally understood monsters taught the humans everything they knew.. What all we had was learned hands on by the Royal Scientist.”

“Well there’s plenty of hands on experience here as well. Although I feel like you would enjoy the library and I don’t just mean my personal one. And it is true monsters taught humans much there was a great deal they figured out on their own,” Ragland said rolling his sleeves up.

“ Not a real feet to understand there. ”

Ragland smiled down at Sans. “Heh quite. You’ll need to remove yours as well,” he gestured to Sans’s slippers. “I promise there is a method to the madness.” Sans removed them feeling only slightly awkward and left them next to Ragland’s leather pair. “It may not seem like it since monsters have been trapped by them but barrier magic is quite harmless. You are familiar with the other types of non aggressive magics yes, my boy?” He questioned to which Sans nodded. Ragland placed his hands up to the bubble which seemed to just push back against his bones like surface tension on water. “Even with the intent of keeping beings in or out the barrier itself is harmless unless the magic behind its creation was specifically to cause harm. All you’ll want to do here is push like a door, a fairly simple concept only you  **must** finish opening the door. It might be hard to focus on it and opening this door will likely feel odd. From what I understand it feels different for my daughter, like pushing through webbing and no doubt it will be different for you. For me it is a burning sensation, understand it’s not painful but this is a sterile enclosure. I made it as such, the flora behind here is precious and  cannot be contaminated, so I take it as a burning away of any impurities I might bring with me.” It clicked then with Sans why the change of clothes and why their shoes needed to be removed. Seeing his point made, Ragland pushed and stepped through with ease, the barrier wobbling a bit with his passing just like he had seen it do with Alchemy. 

Sans wondered if his shortcuts would work in getting him through. The barrier in their underground was transparent but when it came to trying to shortcut through it, it was like a solid wall. He hadn’t been able to see past it no matter what angle he went at it. But that made perfect sense seeing as the barrier was meant to be their prison though it hadn’t stopped him from trying. Copying Ragland, he placed his hands onto the surface and felt a shiver run through him. The barrier looked green and  iridescent in color but touching it now almost let him perceive a different color. The green had to be promoting a healing environment and instantly reminded Sans of a few of the large machines back in the lab. He pushed trying to be firm yet not forceful and saw incrementally how the barrier shifted before giving way. He shuddered again as he stepped through feeling as if his bones were being coated in the thin film of a soap bubble. Sans turned his hand over checking out the back and front expecting to find them shiny. Touching his bone revealed that he was in fact still ‘clean’ and soap free. The inside was a muted sort of dead, like a soundproofed room and the air was somehow heavy and thick but undeniably fresh.

Ragland beamed down at him very satisfied with the successful entry, “See thoroughly unburned.”

“Yeah don’t think I was in the mood to be skeleton flamb é ,” Sans joked, shooting up finger guns.

Ragland tilted his head to the side giving Sans a curious look, “... Ah! Comic Sans I see now.” He chuckled and turned down a section between two tables. “This is where I grow food and medicines for the underground. Well I say I but Alchemy too uses this work space. I have spent most of her life teaching her what I could and though the majority of this is my life's study, lately it has turned more into a ‘we’ project. Although…” Ragland’s eyelights flicked over to an open ledger and the air became thicker. His magic spread through the enclosure and expanded with him like a deep breath before everything relaxed back to normal. His gaze immediately went to a row of seedlings Sans had watched Alchemy doctor just a few hours prior. “It seems a power shift is happening.” He gently handled the small plant and tried to feed it a bit of magic. Pink slithered around the tiny green leaves but dissipated without really sinking in. Ragland made a face at this, “I will have some chasticing to do later it seems. For now come, there is much to show you.”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

There was a lot to take in as Ragland led them through the maze this time turning more towards the north. Sans followed him closely but wasn’t really paying attention. The garden was small, nowhere near large enough to feed the entire underground he thought. And yet according to Ragland that’s exactly what they had been trying to do for years. Roughly every 50 years a blight would run rampant through the underground killing off vegetation. Not all of it was direct either; many plant monsters had succumbed to it but it was also affecting the ground. This made all but the fewest of places safe to plant or monsters like vegetoids to reproduce. Sans was not familiar with what Ragland had said started this blight. There had been a potato famine in the continent above them that had seeped its way down through the mountain. They used to be able to fight off the blight thanks to the help they got from another type of monster but that method was no longer sustainable. Ragland would say no more but told him if he were interested, Sans could speak with Neely on the subject. Whereas he was definitely curious, Sans was in no hurry to confront the monster any time soon. They were coming upon another blight spell as plants had once again begun to wilt and vegetoids found the ground sickly and unuseable. 

There was a small area in this alcove that no one was allowed to go to outside of Neely and those she deemed safe, mostly being plant monsters since the earth there was sacred and the last healthy place for them. Ragland explained that unlike their underground which had the CORE, the energy that supplied the monsters and ground here came solely from the crystals located within the mountain. They had mined the large ones and stabilized them in the major parts of the cities. Their magic resonating in a sort of positive feedback loop that kept them suspended, fed, and likewise emitted magical energy. They also seemed to be stuck in the past or at least a version of it and this was due to hardly anything falling down to them. The occasional scrap of reading material might make it down but the majority of their texts had been what they had brought with them. This apparently was quite extensive especially in contrast to the knowledge or rather lack thereof the monsters of Sans’ underground had. Even so it didn’t seem as if they lacked in life despite not having technology. In fact it looked as if magic had coalesced in a way that they didn't need the things others had been accustomed to.

Here in the alcove sun shown from the ceiling but everywhere else had only the light of the crystals. According to Ragland the light would shift from within the crystals to mimic the passing of time and they had contraptions working off their magic that would tell the time down to the date and year. They had ways of drawing water, had piping, mechanisms that would help them build, and even those that acted somewhat independent like the doors between the cities. It was frankly amazing, all of this was new yet dated at the same time and every bit of it tickled Sans’ curiosity in the right ways. 

“These fissures,” Ragland said, suddenly drawing Sans from his thoughts. “Could be one of the ways the blight spreads to under the mountain but they are also one of the few places that offer direct sunlight. And at least one of these is able to be frequented by the passers above.” He looked incredibly saddened at the last bit. “Sans… I am not the smartest nor wisest of monsters. I do not and can not know everything but there are a few things I can perceive. When a child has a tendency to sneak out and put in a great deal more work than is required of her.” He turned then and starred directly into Sans eyelights. “When someone is saying things with the words they leave out or hide in plain conversation. You are a very bright young skeleton very learned in the ways of science and the new age yet you seemed very interested when English and Alchemy were brought up. You said it would not matter how the brothers were made just that they would be there for each other. I understand from your ‘technology’ and this CORE you spoke of you might be expecting something... else?”

Sweat beaded on the back of his skull. Had Sans gotten soft over the years or was Ragland able to read him better thanks to perhaps knowing skeleton tells? Regardless, Sans sighed, “ Honestly I was hoping for something close to how my brother and I were made. It’s difficult to explain but my father… just created my bro and I. I don’t know if he did it for loneliness, to sate his own curiosity, under orders, or just for kicks but there was a lab, where in tubes we were cultivated. ” Ragland was very still, his gaze still piercing but Sans saw nothing there other than his own mind trying to grasp what he was telling him. 

“I am… not familiar with how one makes something from nothing.”

“ Well he had material sort of. He uh took pieces of himself… of his SOUL and kinda just grew us from that. ” Sans rubbed the back of his skull and shifted in place.

“Fascinating.” He said after a long pause. “I’m sorry for prying, forgive me but you said so yourself that a good deal of… well I assume you would know nothing of how skeletons are made if your father went through the measures he did.”

“ Yeah no… I get it, heh when two monsters love each other very very much... ”

“Ha, yes quite. While that is true, you are more than welcome to peruse texts that will explain this in more detail but skeletons have more than one way to be made. Unlike conventional conception, there are records showing as well as speculating how the first skeleton monsters came into being. Some hint that ghosts chose long dead vessels to occupy, while others state that humans used to animate their own with bound SOULs which evolved into eventual sentient monsters. There are of course the fact monsters can take shape at the infantile stages based on their feelings of their true self. But much like elementals, skeletons have ways of producing offspring asexually. It’s a process, very taxing and takes time, but how I showed Rose and Braeburn even how I made Alchemy was how it had been explained to me.” Ragland stepped aside and waved his hand over the ground behind him disturbing the soft loam. Just under the surface in a shallow resting place, was a skeletal hand and forearm. “There has been very little to work with in the entire time of our occupation here, no more than six. It doesn’t take as much as a piece of the SOUL but it does require a long period of concentrating one's magic, pouring it into the material. Then voilà, a babybones.”

  
Sans stood processing still shocked by the partial bone he saw.  _ What. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lullaby sung to/by the children and Alchemy  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQpU_73Dv0&list=LL1yAdT5ms2YlpLyO7VvDegA&index=163&t=0s 
> 
> trying to keep a decent schedule for updating but i've recently picked up DnD (shush)...and playing and planning takes alot heh. ^^; I am currently working on chapter 4 but still have no name for it as of yet. Also I still have like... two other stories i'm trying to work on? (i know!!! >.< sorry) one being Like a Jigsaw Piece and another i havent bothered to post. I prolly wont til it has a few chapters ready as well. I'm still fairly new at this whole sharing thing so im more than happy to hear feed back if you guys have any. Until next chapter, Enjoy! <3


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